2017

LVM Experts: Lady's-slipper Orchids are Blooming in State Forests

During the magical summer solstice time, when the sun is at its highest point, a very special bustle can also be felt in nature. This year, we can enjoy blooming of the lady's-slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus L.), one of the most protected plants in Latvia.

In North Kurzeme region, where in 2014 one of the largest fields of lady's-slipper orchids was found, also this year shoots have been recorded. Ilze Rēriha, LVM Senior Environmental Expert: "After careful research, it has been established that the number of flowering shoots has increased. If more than 850 shoots were detected in 2015, of which 209 were blooming, then this year the number of flowering shoots has reached 308."

The lady's-slipper orchid is a perennial orchid family plant that grows in small groups in fertile forests, forestlands or forest meadows. Its blossom is large - up to 10 centimetres in diameter; it is made up of reddish brown apple leaves and a yellow boot-shaped lip. The glands in this lip produce an oily fluid that attracts bees. When an insect gets into the flower, it leaves behind the pollen collected from the previous flower and collects new pollen to pass it on to the next plant.

The lady's-slipper orchid is included in both the Baltic Region Red Book and the Latvian Red Book, where it is classified in Category 2. Plants of this category are rare species that are not threatened with extinction, but they are found in so limited or specific places that they can quickly wither away.

The name of lady's-slipper orchid can also be found in the European Union Species and Habitats Directive, which prescribes conservation of rare, threatened or endemic species and aims to promote conservation of biodiversity.